In conjunction with the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly and the Diocese of Killaloe, Cloughjordan eco-village will host a conference on promoting the message of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home) on Saturday 18 November. Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly of Cashel and Emly and Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe will open the conference which will focus on the theme ‘Laudato Si’: Spreading the word’.
The conference will welcome a number of guest speakers to the eco- village, including Columban Missionary and ‘eco-theologian’ Fr Sean McDonagh, who will speak on ‘Laudato Si’ and Catholic Social Teaching’, as well as Sr Colette Kane OP, director of An Tairseach, a Dominican farm and ecology centre in Wicklow, who will speak on the spirituality of Laudato Si’.
Other speakers will include Lorna Gold, vice-chair of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, on the Disruptive power of Laudato Si’; Peadar Kirby, chair of the board of Sustainable Projects Ireland; Till Weyers of the Federation of German Scientists, who is completing a PhD on Laudato Si’; and Davie Philips, community educator with Cultivate.
As a special feature at the conference, Bishop Fintan Monahan will launch a new book edited by Fr Sean McDonagh titled Laudato Si’: An Irish Response, which is published by Veritas.
The Cloughjordan eco-village, based in Co Tipperary in the Diocese of Killaloe, is an ongoing project to create a community with commitments to ecological, social and economic sustainability. The village is home to more than 100 residents living in high-performance green homes, over 20,000 newly planted trees and Ireland’s largest renewable energy district heating system.
All are welcome to attend. For more information visit www.thevillage.ie.
